


Destiné à être

by Dafina17



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - No Kwamis, F/M, Friendship/Love, No Angst, just a lot of love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-06
Updated: 2017-09-04
Packaged: 2018-12-12 02:51:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 9,480
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11727975
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dafina17/pseuds/Dafina17
Summary: After winning a scholarship to study fashion in London, our hopeless-romantic girl, Marinette, prepares herself for the adventure of her life. She was ready for friends, fun, new experiences and opportunities; but she never prepared herself for a certain green-eyed boy.





	1. Butterflies

Marinette’s dream had become a reality.  When she saw the sign that recited “Kingston University”, her heart skipped a beat. She was studying fashion, after winning a full scholarship thanks to her hard work and many Gabriel’s contests she had won at high school. Not only was that, but Alya had also won a scholarship to study journalism there thanks to her popular Parisian blog, “ _La vie en France_ ”.

Thanks to her parents support, she was able to leave Paris to move to London along with Alya, ready for her new life.

Both she and Alya had moved in a tiny apartment in front of the university, and it was near from both faculties. The apartment had two bedrooms, one bathroom and one tiny kitchen and living room; also it had a cute balcony where they could see the beauty of the city.

The day before their first day, they decided to get a bottle of wine and cheese to celebrate in their pajamas the new beginnings.

“But seriously, Marinette”, Alya said after taking a sip of her glass “we need to get some _beaux homes_ here."

Marinette laughed. “I really wish, Alya, but you know I’m really bad at men” she answered.

Alya lifted a brow and signaled her. “Girl, you know you suck at men because you are really faddy” she scolded her. “You had a lot of guys after you at high school, but you never liked any of them back, so…”

Marinette frowned.

“I am not _faddy_ ” she declared “it’s just… I’ve never met someone that... leaves me breathless."

Alya rolled her eyes and took another sip.

“You are such a hopeless romantic, woman. I hope you met someone as gullible as you” she joked, making Marinette laugh and throw her a piece of cheese.

“I doubt I find that man, I’m telling you” she replied with a sadness tone.

Alya smiled and felt sorry for her friend. Alya have had two relationships, one so short that she wouldn’t even consider it as a relationship, but she knew what love was, and her friend had no idea of what it felt like. _Yet_.

“You’ll find him soon. I’m sure of it” she muttered grabbing her shoulder. Marinette smiled a bit. “Now, let’s get tipsy."

“Hell, yeah."

* * *

 

Next day Marinette found herself running late, as always. Even if she lived next to her classroom she would find a way to be late. It was a curse.

 She ran and looked at her schedule, trying to find the building where her first class was. Looking around she saw no buildings with the letter “E”.

“Where is it?” she whispered but then a wave of air passed her, snatching her paper and taking it far from her. “Oh, no!” she screamed following the piece of paper.

 _They must think I’m crazy_ _and it’s my first day_ , she thought when she noticed a group of people that saw her with confused expresions.

The air threatened to lift the paper above her and she mentally cursed, trying to think of how she would get another copy, when suddenly a hand grabbed it with agility. Marinette gasped, but it was too late; she had crashed into the owner of that hand, sending them both to the ground.

“Ouch” she heard below her.

The crash knocked the air out of her lungs. Her face had become as red as the scarf she had in her neck.

“ _Oh mon Dieu. Pardonnez-moi!!”_ she said in French, lifting herself fastly and extending a hand to the stranger. “I mean, I’m so sorry” she corrected herself in English when she remembered she was no longer in France. The stranger took her hand, and she lifted him easily thanks to the shit ton of exercise she did. “I was looking for building E and the schedule flew and…!” she tried to explain, but stopped when she met the face of the stranger. The really, _really_ _handsome_ face of the stranger. He was taller than her, had _amazing_ green eyes, soft blonde hair now a bit messy from the fall, and a facial structure that probably belonged to some Greek god.

“ _Il n'y a pas de problem_!” the green eyed answered in French, sending her a beautiful smile and giving her back the piece of paper. “Accidents happen. I’m glad to see I'm not the only french person in this university” he said with a friendly tone. “Oh, also, the “E” building is right there” he signaled the building behind him.

Marinette was speechless. _Handsome_ … and _nice_? What the _hell_? Her face must be the reddest red on earth.

“Oh, uh, thank you so much! I am r-really sorry, by the way…” she tried to talk without making a fool of herself but failed when she stammered on the last part. Then she remembered her class had started like ten minutes ago, and her face went from sheepishly to a fully panicked one in a second. “Gosh, I have to run, I am so late!” she said and started to run to the building, not without turning around first and yelling: “It was nice meeting you, thank you and sorry again!"

The green eyed watched amused at her running form and let out a soft giggle. But then, he remembered he _also_ was _late_ to his class.

“Oh, shit” he muttered before running to his building, bluebell eyes not leaving his mind.


	2. Affinity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nino meets Alya. Adrien misses a chance to learn the blue-eyed girl's name.

Nino arrived to the class of Leadership like half an hour early, bored out of his mind after _two_ freaking _entire_ hours of Communication.

 _At least this class is the last of my first day, and it’s just one hour long…_ he thought, planning what to do after the class. _Some skating would be nice…_

He got into the classroom and found few people already there. He yawned and sat in the farthest seat of the classroom, throwing his backpack to the other chair. Turning his earphones on, he lost himself a bit into the music.

That was, until he felt a knock in his shoulder. He turned to the left and found a cute orange-haired girl with tan skin, green eyes hidden behind her glasses and a mole on her forehead. She moved her lips, but he didn’t understand because of the earphones.

“Yo, sorry, I didn’t get it” he said pulling them out. “Would you mind telling me again, girl?”

She lifted an eyebrow and smiled.

“I asked ‘is this seat taken?’ because this is the only free one on the back and I’m not in the mood to pay attention at the front of the classroom” she replied. Nino noticed the classroom was fuller now, and she was, right, the only seat far from the front was next to him.

“Yeah, you can sit” he said, moving his backpack.

“Thanks, _boy_ ” she answered, using the same slang he used with her. “What’s your course?”

 “I’m studying Music Technology, and your?"

“Sounds cool! I'm studying Journalism."

“Woah, you’re like a Lois Lane” he blurted. _Shut your nerd ass, Nino._

“Exaclty. Now I just need a superman” she joked.

Just like that Nino’s eyes went big. _Did I just meet the love of my life or…?_

They kept talking and learned a lot. Both were French, loved superheroes and electronic music. The talk stopped when the professor -a very small and angry looking man- entered the classroom, but they managed to exchange phone numbers through paper notes.

Nino returned to his apartment with a smile that evening.

* * *

 

Adrien found himself at the university’s welcome event that Wednesday. He hadn’t seen the beautiful blue eyed girl and he got a bit disappointed, because he didn’t even knew her name.

He sat with some classmates of his Administration class and heard the director say a few encouragement words and showing off how great the University was, saying even the sons of important politicians, singers and _fashion designers_ where studying there.

Adrien made a face hearing the last part, feeling that the director was referencing him and confirming it when the bald man looked in his direction. Very few people had recognized him and he was thankful for that. He wasn’t good at the whole _being famous_ thing at France, but at least in London people knew him less, and he _almost_ felt like a normal guy.

He spent a whole year convincing his father to let him study there, because it was a good school, far from France -where his face had become famous thanks to every advertisement-, and mostly, far from his father and his overprotection. Gabriel had many conditions for him to leave to London, like him having to study business to inherit the company and to keep with his modeling every once in a while. Adrien wasn’t happy about studying business, but he was sure his father wouldn’t have given him permission to study his true love, physics, even if he was in France, so might as well study business far from his father’s eyes.

Adrien was lost on his thoughts when he spotted a bluenette girl in the crowd, three rows in front of him at the left. His heart skipped a beat when she moved her head to the side talk to someone next to her and he confirmed she was the same girl that knocked him on Monday. His mind tried to make plans to reach her after the event and talk to her.

The event ended and Adrien tried to get closer to her, but the auditorium was too crowed. He thought of calling her, but he remembered he had no names. He cursed when he lost her out of sight.

 _I am the embodiment of bad luck_ , he thought, putting up a hand on his forehead and growling.


	3. Amitié

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nino makes a new friend.

It was a late afternoon on a Thursday of his first week of university and Adrien had managed to make exactly zero friends, seeing the bluenette girl zero times, given nine autographs _but_ getting to buy a beautiful green skateboard.

He knew nothing about skating, thanks to his dad.

 _“If you fall and break your nose, you’ll no longer be a model, so don’t ever think of getting a skateboard, Adrien” ,_ Gabriel had told him once at dinner, without looking up from his tablet.

“Try to stop me now, father” Adrien muttered grabbing his skate and going to a park that was next to his apartment building.

Of course, his dad, being the _well-known extravagant Gabriel Agreste_ , decided Adrien didn’t need roommates and also decided he should live in the expensive complex in front of the school. The apartment was too big for him, but the view was amazing.

There were more people on the park than Adrien expected, and he started to regret going. If he face-planted, it would be really humiliating, but he wanted to learn.

He started stepping in the skateboard and noticed it was harder than it looked. He cursed when he couldn’t even _stand in it_. He practiced more and around eight he could finally go on a straight line without falling down.

…. _Or he thought_ , because he fell down on his butt.

“ _Merde_!” he howled.

“Need some help, _mec?_ ” a voice above him laughed. He looked up and saw a guy with tanned skin, glasses and a cap, holding a black skateboard and extending his hand to him.

“ _Oui_ ” Adrien said embarrassed, being lifted from the ground _again_ by _another_ French person for the second time this week.

“Cool, you’re the second French person I met this week” the guy said. _The second? Could it be…?_

“The second?” he asked hopefully.

“Oh, yeah, the first is a redheaded girl from my Leadership class” he explained.

“Oh” Adrien was disappointed but he knew it was the opportunity to make a friend. “Thanks by the way. I’m Adrien” he introduced himself.

“No problem, dude. I’m Nino” he replied. They bumped fists. “Saw you having problems with the skateboard, want me to teach you some stuff?”

Adrien’s face lit up.

“Really? Wouldn’t it be much trouble?” he asked with a smile _. Was he making a friend?!_

“Nah, bro. Look, the problem here is that…” he started.

They spent like two hours skating and laughing. Before they parted, they exchanged numbers to keep practicing some other day. Adrien was really happy.

* * *

 

Meanwhile, Marinette was lying next to Alya on the sofa, watching Netflix and eating some cookies she and Alya had made that afternoon.

The redhead was texting her new _friend_ called Nino. She had been talking of him all week and Marinette was finally going to meet him.

“Just marry him already, Alya” she grumbled.

“Oh, shut up” her friend replied sticking out her tongue at her. “He’s arriving right…”

There was a knock on the door, “…now."

Marinette rolled her eyes at her friend’s happy smile.

“Hi, boy” Alya said opening the door.

“Yo, girl” he greeted with a peace sign. She guided him to the living room and sat him on the sofa across Marinette. “Hey, I’m Nino” he said extending his fist.

Marinette laughed and bumped his fist. “Marinette. Alya won’t stop talking about you. Nice finally meeting you” she explained narrowing her eyes. Marinette felt Alya’s glare on her but she was decided to give her a taste of her own medicine.

“Is that so?” asked Nino with a laugh and a small blush.

“Oh, shut up. Don’t let her inflate your ego, boy” Alya said crossing her arms.

 “It can’t be inflated more or it will explode” he joked. “Oh, guess what, I made a friend today."

“Really? Will you be replacing me soon or…?” Alya joked lifting an eyebrow.

Nino laughed. “Of course not, you’re my number one” he winked. Both laughed and Marinette rolled her eyes again.

“So how did you meet your new friend?” joined Marinette, trying to remind them she existed, to not feel like the third-wheel.

“Well, he was skating and, _boy,_ was he bad. It was his first time, though. I taught him some stuff and he’s cool."

“Was he handsome?” Alya asked.

“Uh, he’s blonde so I _guess_?” Nino answered.

“Then you need to introduce him to Marinette. This girl needs to meet some British men”, Alya said winking at Marinette, making her blush.

“ _I don't need to..!_ ” Marinette started to whine but was stopped by Nino.

“He’s French, though."

 _French? Blonde?_ Marinette thought, remembering the blonde boy she had met on Monday. _Nah, it’s not him._ _Too perfect to be true._ She hadn’t seen the blonde _beau_ that entire week so she concluded that perhaps he was just touring around the university or something like that.

“Even _better!_ ” Alya exclaimed. “I say we invite him to hang out soon."

 “Whoa, take it easy there” Nino said holding his hands up. “I have to be his friend first; _this_ man...” he said signaling himself “...needs someone to talk about manly stuff too, you know”.

“The only manly thing about you, boy, is that scruff you didn’t get to shave this morning”, Alya said poking his nose.

Marinette laughed and Nino frowned, touching his jaw.

“I am _very_ manly, thanks” he scoffed flexing. “Now, where are the cookies you told me I had to try?”


	4. Felicity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A talk and a coffee vending machine.

The weekend came and Adrien went back to France for a photo shoot. His father asked him about his first week, and he answered with a simply ‘ _It was fine’_ , knowing his father wasn’t that interested in the university.

On Sunday afternoon he returned to London, meeting Nino for some practice. It was the third time they met, and Adrien was wondering if he could consider Nino a friend.

"Yo, dude, I forgot to tell you. My friends want to meet you" he said after Adrien had learned how to go down the ramp with impeccable balance.

Adrien raised his eyebrows.

"Really? Why?" he asked confused.

"I told them you were cool and French and they are French too, so they told me – _more like forced me_ \- we all had to hang out. Who knows, maybe we can slowly _colonize the UK_ or something like that" he joked. 

Both laughed. "But seriously, you'll like them. Alya is ama- _both_ girls are amazing" he corrected himself blushing and looking to his skate.

Adrien smirked.

"So, _Alya_ , uh?" He asked nudging him. "Is she the girl you’ve been texting all day?"

Nino blushed more.

"I- uh, well..." he tried to explain, stumbling on his own words. “You should meet her roommate! You'll like her. She's into videogames and fashion, bro! Also likes Netflix a lot, I swear that girl has seen the entire catalog... oh, and she cooks really well. Her name is…”

"She sounds nice" Adrien interrupted him, narrowing his eyes. "But don't _change_ the topic.”

"Well, I kind of like Alya, dude, but I don't think she's into guys like _me_ " he uttered, pointing to himself.

Adrien rolled his eyes. "Oh, come on, Nino. You are cool. The coolest man around here, if you ask me. You should give it a try, bro.”

Nino smiled and grabbed his skateboard. "Thanks, man. You’re an amazing friend. I… guess I’ll try" he muttered scratching his neck.

Adrien grinned at the mention of the word ‘ _friend’_. _Nino was his first friend ever!_ Well, apart from Chloe who wasn’t _technically_ a friend he choose -more like he was forced to be her friend-, and also was mad at him for leaving Paris.

“You’re a great friend too, Nino” he replied, and they bumped fists.

"Now, let's try the _‘Dropping In & Pumping’_, dude".

“I just learned how to not fall on my ass, dude! _”_  Adrien exclaimed. “You are crazy.”

“I _am_ crazy. Now don’t be a sissy and grab your skateboard.”

* * *

It wasn't till Wednesday when luck was _finally_ on Adrien's side.

He was leaving the building where he had his last class of the day. 

 _Why do eight p.m. classes even exist?_ , he thought, yawning. At least he didn’t have basketball practice that day, or else he’ll be dragging himself to his apartment.

He took his phone and saw some dumb meme Nino had sent him.

He chuckled and started replying, but then another person bumped into him. He managed to regain balance and catch the person by the shoulders.

"Whoa, I'm sorry I didn't saw wher-..." he didn't end the sentence because his green eyes found _bluebell_ eyes.

The girl pulled out her earphones and her eyes widened when she saw who he was.

" _It's you!_ " both blurted at the same time, causing them to blush and smile shyly. Adrien retired his hands from her shoulders and scratched his neck.

“Uh, hi” he muttered waving his hand. _Nice, Adrien._

"H-hi! I’m sorry for clashing into you _again_! I haven't seen you around since last Monday, so I thought you were just touring around or something like that..." she muttered looking down at her fidgety fingers. " _And now I'm babbling_. I just... I wanted to apologize for the other day. It was really rude of me to not apologize correctly after I sent you _literally_ to the floor..."

Adrien let out a laugh, surprising her. "Like I told you that day, there’s no problem. I'm still in one piece so everything is okay" he said with a reassuring smile. "But if you don’t mind, I would like to know the name of the first person I met here.”

"Oh, right. I'm Marinette. Nice meeting you..?" she extended her hand.

"…Adrien" he finished, shaking her hand and avoiding his last name. He didn't want to be an Agreste. Not with the beautiful girl that was in front of him, treating him like a common guy.

"Well, Adrien. If you don't mind me asking, why are you _still_ at school?" she asked, raising a perfect eyebrow.

"Economic's class from eight to nine” he grumbled, sighing dramatically and making her laugh. “How about you, Marinette?" he added, crossing his arms and straightening his back on instinct to look more manly. He face palmed mentally, wondering if he looked as ridiculous as he felt.

"U-uh, well I was in Art's class also from eight to nine, so I kind of know how you feel. I spent the whole class dreaming of arriving to my apartment and..."

"... throwing yourself into bed and sleeping like you didn’t have a seven a.m. class tomorrow?" he finished with a laugh.

 "Exactly! I love sleeping… and I also have a seven a.m. class tomorrow… being a freshman sucks.”

"Yes! I’m also a freshman, and the schedules are horrible. I almost spent the entire day here with nothing to do between hours and I’m already dying _and it’s just the second week!_ ” he said and both laughed; he was relieved that she was also on first year. "S-so what's your course?”

"Fashion and yours?"

"Business", he answered without the emotion he heard in her voice when she answered.

They started chatting, about what parts of France they were, discovering they lived only three blocks far from each other. She told him why she decided to study fashion and he told her the lame story of his dad wanting him to study that for the sake of the family business -without telling her much information-. He discovered she had won several contests back in high school, which impressed him. She discovered he loved puns, which made her facepalm mentally.

They had found a bench next to a coffee vending machine. Marinette had told him a story of how she dared to enter to a _fashion contest_ on _finals week_ and also _helping her parents in the bakery_. She was so sleep-deprived that she drank three espressos from a coffee vending machine in less than five minutes, resulting in her not sleeping for two days.

"...so, are you telling me you've never had a coffee from one of these vending machines?" she asked, sounding insulted.

Adrien laughed and shrugged. “ _Sorry?_ ”

Marinette narrowed her eyes thoughtfully and stood up. Adrien's eyes widened, fearing she would leave, but he relaxed when she went to the vending machine.

"As an apology and also as a way to show you the best coffee in the world, I’m inviting you a cappuccino" she said putting some coins into the vending machine.

Adrien stood up too waving his hands. "Hey, you don't have to..."

She turned and smiled. "I _want_ to" she replied. "Also, it’ll be cool if your first coffee from a vending machine experience was with me" she pointed at herself proudly, but blushed when she heard herself.

Adrien grinned. " _Is that_ _so_? I guess I'll have to buy you a coffee after this. To make things equal, you know. In fact, I also know a good place next to my apartment where they sell some really good macaroons.”

She smiled nervously _. Was that a date? Of course not, he's just being nice! don’t get your hopes up!_ she thought, getting her hopes up _._  She tried not to show the war inside of her. The machine beeped and she handed him his coffee, receiving a small _'thank you'_.

"….Only because I miss macaroons. And being a student, the almond flour is really expensive" she agreed, rubbing her chin. She put another coins for her coffee.

"You’re macaro- _on_ , then" he said smirking.

She narrowed her eyes at the pun. “…but, wait, where do you live?"

"Oh, across the University. At the Antony Reese building" he said signaling the big building that they could see even from far away.

"Really? I live on the Watson building, it’s the one across the park next to your building" she said excited. "We are kind of neighbors, then?”

She grabbed her coffee. It smelled amazing and fitted for the kinda chilly night.

"Looks like we are! For my first machine coffee and new friendly neighbors" he said lifting his cup and both made the toast.

"It's so good!" he said surprised. "I'm definitively spending all my money on this.”

Marinette giggled. "Wait till we are on finals week and dying of sle-..." she was cut with her ringtone. 

She grabbed her phone and her eyes widened when she saw it was Alya who called her. She also noticed it was past ten, almost eleven. Had she been talking with that _cute as hell boy_  for almost two hours?!

She apologized to Adrien and answered her phone.

"Hello?"

" _Girl, you got me worried! Is everything okay?_ " Alya preoccupied voice sounded at the other side of the line. 

Damn, she had forgotten to send her a message to not worry her. It was uncommon of Marinette to be out so late.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I was with a friend and time passed us by. I’m sorry for not letting you know.”

When Adrien heard that part his heart swelled with happiness. _Was she already considering him a friend in that short time?_ His smile got wider.

Marinette told Alya she was on her way and hung up.

"Sorry, it was my roommate. She was worried because I’m not usually out this late", she muttered looking at her cup. 

"Don't worry. Want me to walk you to your apartment, _neighbor_?" he teased with a smile.

"If it's not a problem, yes."

The rest of the walk was full of laughs and childhood stories. Adrien didn’t remember the last time he smiled that much.


	5. Fondare

"You are telling me we are having dinner with _whom?_ ” Marinette said narrowing her eyes. "Is this an excuse for you to hang out with Nino _or_ for me to not be a cat lady when I'm older?"

Alya scoffed, looking up from her cellphone. "Is not an excuse! We need to make new friends here and Nino says the guy is cool so it wouldn't be that bad" she answered crossing her arms. "Besides, it's Saturday! It wouldn't _hurt_ you to meet a cute French boy.”

Marinette rolled her eyes.

"Alright. I'm going. But it’s _only_ because you are going to that pizza restaurant with the big claw machine.”

Alya smirked. "If you say so, girl. Now go get ready”, she said shooing her. "Make sure you look _sexy_.”

" _Alya_ " she complained, narrowing her eyes and pointing at her friend. "I'm not looking for a man at the moment; I just want pizza and stuffed toys, thank you very much.”

" _Marinette_ , if that's because of the blonde boy you met two days ago, forget it. He hasn't called you, has he?" she lifted an eyebrow and crossed her arms.

 _“…If you could give me your number so I can text you tomorrow and go for that coffee_ ”, the blonde had said two days ago before they parted.

Marinette looked down and sighed. "No..."

"Then…” she grabbed the bluenette by the shoulders "…you have to enjoy this night. You could make a new friend..."

Marinette smiled and thought about it. _A new friend would be goo-_

"... or something else, who knows" Alya ended, moving her eyebrows suggestively.

Marinette blushed and took her hands off her shoulders. " _Alya!_ "

* * *

 

Contrary to Alya's recommendations, Marinette had settled for a sweater, jeans and flaps.

Nino met them at their apartment and the three of them took a taxi to the restaurant. They'll meet the mysterious friend at the restaurant. 

"Poor dude just arrived like half an hour ago, so he told me he'll meet us there", Nino explained to the girls on the cab.

"Arrived? From where?" asked Marinette.

"I don't know, he told me he had gone to France", he answered trying to remember. "He had a job or something like that.”

“Sounds like a busy person", Marinette muttered. Just then, a text arrived to her phone. She grabbed it with no hope of it being Adrien.

But what a surprise she had when it was a message from an unknown number. A message from _him_.

_'Hello, Marinette! It's Adrien. I'm sorry I didn't contact you sooner, I was out of the city since yesterday and I just arrived. How are you?'_

She suppressed a gasp to not call the attention of the pair next to her that was too busy anyway, discussing some comic they had just read. Rapidly she found herself typing an answer.

_'Hi, Adrien! Don't worry, I understand. I'm good! How about you, how was your trip?'_

His answer came in no time.

_'Thank you! I'm also good! It was really tiring but now I'm meeting a friend and his friends for dinner so I'll rest later haha'_

She looked confused at the screen. _He had just arrived and was going to a dinner with his friend's friends?_ She started thinking about it and connecting points. Nino's friend was blonde. Adrien was blonde. Nino's friend was French. Adrien was also French! Nino also commented his friend made some bad jokes... which sounded suspiciously a lot like Adrien... _Could it be the same person? What were the odds?!_

Another text came in.

_'What are you doing tomorrow?’_

Marinette had no time to think or answer because they had arrived. She was the last one to exit the cab. 

Nino was greeting his friend and Alya followed. When they moved so she could greet him, Marinette's eyes widened. _Looks like the odds were pretty high, after all._

" _Adrien?_ "

" _Marinette?_!" the blonde said as surprised as her.

Nino frowned and pointed at the both of them. " _Yo_ , wait a second, you two know each other?"

The questioned pair looked at each other with wide eyes, till Marinette laughed, making Adrien laugh with her.

"So _Adrien_ was your new friend, Nino?" she asked pointing at the blonde.

"And _Marinette_ was the roommate of Alya, dude?" Adrien questioned, lifting an eyebrow. "It is a small world.”

Marinette giggled. "It is, isn't it? I mean, what are the chances!"

Alya and Nino looked at the two of them confused. Then looked at each other. Then at the pair again.

"Wait, wait, wait…" Alya shook her head and looked at Marinette. " _Is this..?_ " she didn't finish the phrase and kept quiet for a moment; then her face illuminated and her confusion turned into mischief. " _Well_ , Marinette has told me a _lot_ about you, Adrien" she said with a satisfied grin.

The freckled girl flushed and glared Alya. " _I never..!_ "

"She told you about me?" Adrien asked with bright eyes; his smile widening.

"Just a _bit_ ", Alya said looking at Marinette with narrowed eyes.

"Hold up, that _means_ Marinette is the girl with beau-”, Nino started but Adrien put a hand over his mouth to silence him and giggled nervously.

"W-well, are we going to enter or _what?_ " Adrien exclaimed, saving both his and Marinette's butts.

" _Please_ " she muttered facepalming.

The red-faced pair entered the restaurant; Adrien opening the door for her and Marinette stammering a small thanks.

Alya looked at them, her mind already working on a plan. She looked at Nino with a smirk and the bulb in his head switched on. Throwing her a knowing look, both made their way to the restaurant, whispering their ideas.

The blonde and the bluenette were going to end together, _yes or yes._

* * *

 

" _So..._ " they said at the same time and chuckled.

"You go first" Marinette said.

"So you are the girl that loves videogames and fashion?" His tone was playful.

"And you're the boy that fell on his butt practicing with the skateboard?" she asked back with a smirk.

Adrien flushed. " _I'm going to kick Nino's ass..._ "

Marinette laughed and waved her hand. "Hey, don't worry. The first time I stood in a skateboard it went downhill and I ended knocking a police man. Nothing can top that", she assured him.

Adrien's eyes widened and he let out a loud laugh imagining the scene. "Oh, well, that made did me feel better!" His face went shy. "By the way…I'm really sorry for not sending you any message. My dad sent me back to Paris and barely told me till the next morning to get ready to pack a small bag.”

"Hey, no worries! What were you doing in Paris?" she asked with curiosity.

Adrien let out a nervous chuckle. "Well, sometimes I help him in the company" he uttered, not giving details. "But at least I get some money for video games and stuff so everything's not that awful".

Marinette nodded thoughtfully. "Oh, I get it. And aren’t you tired?" she inquired worried, remembering he told him he just arrived.

"Well, just a bit. But I was more excited of hanging out with you guys, if I’m being honest" he clarified, scratching his neck.

She blushed. "Well, I'm glad it's _you_ …" she blurted, before panicking.”I-I mean! We are going to, eh, have a good time! But brace yourself for Nino and Alya flirting all night long" she joked, trying to conquer her nerves.

"I'm so prepared! Nino won’t stop talking about her.”

"Same with Alya. They are so blind.”

"We should give them a hand" Adrien proposed grinning.

"We totally should!"

Both laughed and noticed the pair was joining them.

"What were you two talking about, dudes?” Nino asked raising an eyebrow.

Adrien raised one back. "Oh, nothing. Just thinking which game we should go first. Marinette dared me on the mechanic claw, so… Shall we go then, little lady?", he asked Marinette playfully, bowing and making her blush.

She had never ever blushed a lot in the presence of another person. That boy would be the death of her.

"We shall", she said with a nervous chuckle. "See you in a while, guys.”

Both left with smiles, leaving Nino and Alya in the entry of the arcade.

"They are _fools_. Trying to play us and ending playing themselves!" the girl with glasses exclaimed, laughing.

Nino let out a laugh too. “ _Dumbasses_ ”, then he saw the dance machine. "Whoa! Woman, we have to go there!"

"I will beat your ass" she said poking his noise.

"You are so going to eat your words!”


	6. Affetto

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two cute plushies.

Getting a plush wasn’t easy. The stuffed toys were too big and the claw too skinny. After a while, Marinette and Adrien managed to win two big plushies.  She won a black cat, and after a while, he won a cute ladybug.

"You can keep the ladybug" he told her, giving her the stuffed toy.

"How about I keep the ladybug and you keep the black cat?" she suggested, to make it fair.

"Deal. I love cats. They are _claw-_ some" he said grabbing the plush she offered him.

She scoffed. "Was that a _cat_ pun?”

The blonde shrugged, hugging the cat plush. " _Of course_ it was.”

"…Your puns are _cat_ -astrophic" she replied after a moment, making him laugh.

“Nice one!” he extended his fist and Marinette narrowed her eyes at him before shaking her head playfully and bumping fists with him.  “I really like cats, thought. Last week I went to a shelter but the last one was adopted literally an hour before I got there. I’m still hoping to adopt one, you know, to have company.”

“You’ll find one soon! It’s nice of you to go to a shelter instead of buying.” She found amazing that the boy that wore expensive looking clothes and lived in a luxury complex wanted to adopt. He surprised her more every time. “To be honest, I’m more of a _dog_ person. On Paris I have a Cocker Spaniel called Tikki and she’s the cutest thing in the world. I couldn’t bring her here because it’s my first semester and my parents wanted me to get used to being here first.”

“Is she like the doggie that appears on the ‘ _Lady of the Tramp’_?” Marinette nodded. “Cute! Can’t wait to meet her. Why is she named Tikki?”

“Well…” Marinette looked down. “Don’t laugh, but it is because when I was fourteen I loved a dish called ‘ _Aloo Tikki’_ that basically consists in potato croquets and in my mind it was an _awesome_ idea to name poor Tikki after it.”

Adrien crackled and Marinette flushed.

* * *

They went to try more games. Marinette, of course, kept winning easily.

"You are amazing, Marinette" Adrien praised after she beat him in a zombie-shooting game.

"I really like videogames" she shrugged, blushing at the compliment. She grabbed the tickets she won and her plush.

 “You’re a gamer, uh?” he asked with a glint in his eyes. The girl nodded. “Have you ever played Ultimate Mecha Strike?"

"Are you kidding? It's my favorite game! The third one, specially" she told him with a proud grin. "I'm _pretty_ good at it".

"That's my favorite game too! I bet I can beat you with _no effort_ " he challenged her, reaching down to grab the black cat.

Marinette's competitive side jumped on.

" _Oh, really?_ I'd like to see you try, you… little _cat_ " she answered playfully, eyeing his cat plush and crossing her arms over her ladybug plush with a confident glare.

"Game on, little lady… _bug_ " he said with a determined look. "By the way, you didn't answer my last text. What are you doing tomorrow?”

"Oh right! I'm sorry I saw it just when we got here. I have no plans, why?" she asked hopefully. He was incredible and she wouldn't _mind at all_ seeing him again.

"We can go for the coffee I owe you, if you like" he suggested with a smile, scratching his neck.

"Sounds good! And if you like, when we finish we can play Ultimate Mecha Strike to show you who’s boss _, chaton_ " she said with a smirk putting a hand on her hip.

"I like that plan. Prepare to lose, _buginette_ " he said, mimicking her pose and making both laugh.

* * *

The four got together again and played for a bit more before they ordered two pizzas and french fries. Between laughs and stories, they finished and paid the bill. It was almost twelve.

After Alya finished the story of how she started her blog, Marinette looked from the corner of her eye at Adrien. He was yawning and she remembered he arrived to London mere hours ago.  _He must be really tired because of his trip…_

"I think it’s time to go, guys" she told them. "It's late...”

" _Boo_ , you _old woman_ " Nino joked, putting his arm around Alya. "Alya and I were planning to go to a pub after this.”

"Well, _I'm tired_ " Marinette said faking a yawn. "You _young people_ have it easy.”

All laughed and Adrien yawned again.

"Looks like you’re not the only _old_ one, Mari" her friend muttered looking at Adrien and smirking. "You know what? You two should go and get some sleep. Us young people, have a drinking night ahead at that new Harry Potter inspired pub.”

“Hell, _yeah_!” Nino cheered.

Marinette looked questioningly at Adrien.

"Sounds good. Honestly, I'm really tired because of the trip, guys” he confessed with a timid smile. He didn’t like the idea of leaving so soon and wasting the opportunity of hanging out with his new friends, but he was _extremely tired_.

"Then, _bye-bye_ , you old people!" Nino stood up from the booth and grabbed Alya by the arm, dragging her along.

“Don’t wait for me awake, honey!” Alya yelled to Marinette with a laugh before they left.

Marinette and Adrien laughed at the pair.

“Looks like our plan worked” Adrien concluded with a smile and a yawn.

"Let's go grab a cab before you fall asleep in the table" the bluenette joked, nudging him.

He smiled and nodded. Then yawned _again._

 


	7. Parfum

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien can't escape being an Agreste.

The next morning Marinette decided to go for a run. The nerves of going out with Adrien that day didn't let her sleep a lot and she ended waking up at six without getting to fall asleep again, so she thought some exercise will help her to relax.

Instead of going to the park, she decided to run around the university.

Marinette noted the sky was a mixture of blue, orange and pink; the sun ready to go out of his hiding place for another day. She was busy on her thoughts and listening to Jagged Stone when she noticed it. A big advertisement from a new Gabriel’s fragrance. It wasn't the brand that made her stop abruptly and almost drop her phone. It wasn't the new _parfum_ the one that made her eyes widen. It was the image of the model posing, wearing a half-open white shirt and grabbing the expensive fragrance the one that left her breathless. She knew that blonde hair. She knew those dashing green eyes...

_What was Adrien doing on that billboard?_

She squinted and noted a small sign on the corner of the announcement.

_‘Presented by Adrien Agreste.’_

Adrien Agreste? As in the only child of Gabriel Agreste? How did she not recognize him before?

She inhaled a big amount of air after realizing she had stopped breathing.

Now that she thought about it... Adrien had evaded talking a lot of his father and his job. Maybe he didn't trust her? Marinette frowned at the idea, but then another one arrived to her mind.

_What if he just wanted to be treated like a normal guy?_

She looked at the announcement again and saw how different _that_ Adrien was from the Adrien she knew. The model Adrien had a fake model smile and confident eyes, looking all serious and mysterious. The Adrien she knew made funny faces while playing arcade games, had a radiant smile that could easily light up a whole room and told _awful_ puns. The Adrien she knew was nice, silly and kind.

Marinette let herself smile. She was happy because he let her know the real him. She knew the Adrien behind the magazines and announcements.

She started jogging again, this time humming along the new Jagged Stone song.

* * *

 

After fighting Alya for around an hour –who wanted Marinette to wear other than her boring jeans and tennis shoes-, she lost and Alya made her wear a cute flowy pink dress. She also insisted of doing her makeup, under the condition of not overdoing it.

“You look beautiful, Mari” Alya complimented her after finishing her natural-glowy-looking makeup. “If Adrien doesn’t fall for you, I’ll go personally and punch him in the face.”

Marinette laughed, putting on her favorite pair of red earrings. “What scares me is that I know you would. But, it’s not a date or anything like that...”

“Girl, that cute guy asked you for _coffee_. C-o-f-f-e-e. _Just the two of you_. If it’s not a date what is it?”

Marinette tucked hair behind her ears nervously and shrugged.  “Well, I bought him coffee when we first talked and he wanted to pay me back, so… it’s… a _friend_ date?”

Alya rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. Her friend could be really oblivious. “Don’t fool yourself, Mari. Whatever you say, he will be drooling when he sees you.”

The bluenette scoffed and pointed at her. “You are _annoyingly_ optimistic.”

“My second name is optimistic, girl. Also…” Alya looked at her with narrowed eyes “… _Adrien Agreste_ isn’t known for being a Casanova, so I’m fine letting you go out with him.”

Marinette’s eyes widened. “You knew who he was?”

“Woman, I have a Parisian blog. Of course I know who ‘ _Le cœur de Paris’_ is. When did you find out? Or you already knew?”

“I didn’t know until this morning… I went for a jog and someone decided to put a giant billboard for the new Gabriel fragrance behind the Science building… so, yeah…”

“I was expecting you to be more shocked…” Alya said, staring suspiciously at her friend. “I mean, you adore his father’s works and you even won some of his competitions back on _collegé_...”

“I was… well, I’m still kind of shocked… But after thinking about it, I realized he just wanted to be treated like a normal guy… and he’s letting us know the real him…so I’m happy.”

The redhead smiled and rested a hand on her shoulder. “He seems like a great person. _Now_ , let that charm of yours work and you will steal his heart.”

Marinette flushed. “ _Alya_ -”

There was a knock on the door. Alya grinned. “That’s my cue to go to my room. Good luck on your _date_ , Mari” she wished before heading to her bedroom and closing her door.

Marinette frowned and muttered under her breath _‘Not a date’_ , before heading to the door.

“Hi, Mari-!” Adrien started to say with a smile but stopped when he looked at her. “M- _Marinette_ … Uh, are you ready?” he finished, blushing.

There was a giggle coming from Alya’s room. Marinette coughed to cover it.

“Uh, hey Adrien!” she greeted flushing too. He surely looked like a model, even with a plain olive dress shirt –that made his eyes stand out even more- and black jeans. _How can somebody be so handsome?_ “I’m ready, shall we go..?”

“Y-yeah! Let’s go.”

* * *

 

They had been in the _café_ for around an hour, talking lively about things they liked, finding they had lots of things in common.

“You don’t look like a person that listens to Jagged Stone, Mari” Adrien chuckled with surprised eyes.

“Neither you, Adrien” she replied, sipping her cappuccino. “What’s next, you watch anime too?” his eyes widened and his face flushed. Marinette crackled. “You do! Oh, my. You sure are full of surprises. What’s your favorite?”

“Yeah, I do. But I don’t like dressing up and that stuff, so don’t think I’m an…”

“… _Otaku?_ ” she teased with a smirk.

“Yes, an otaku. I only started watching anime because I was homeschooled and had like _one_ friend back in _collegé_ ” he explained, scratching his neck. “My favorite is Naruto, I guess. You watch anime?”

“Naruto is cool! Too many episodes, that’s for sure. I like anime, mostly romance animes with complicated names that I have no idea how to _pronounce_ so I won’t tell you to not make a fool of myself.”

The blonde chuckled and sipped his Americano with no sugar.

In that moment two teenage girls arrived to their table looking excited.

“ _Adrien!_ Can we take a photo with you, please?” a blonde girl asked, pointing at her phone.

“Please!” the other raven haired girl begged, clasping her hands.

Adrien’s face paled and he looked worriedly at Marinette.

“Go ahead, Adrien” she told him with a gentle smile.

“Oh, s-sure” he replied shyly, standing up to let the girls take a photo with him.

“Thank you! Elena didn’t believe me when I told her it was you” the blonde said after finishing taking the selfie. “You are really nice.”

“Yes! Also, the new billboard for the _‘Rêve d'automne’_ fragrance was placed this morning near the university. You look so _handsome_!”

“Thanks a lot, girls!” he said with a warm smile, shoving his hands on his jeans pockets.

“Well, we’ll leave you to enjoy your date. You are so lucky to be his girlfriend!” the blonde said with a grin to Marinette.

Marinette and Adrien blushed.

“ _We are not-_ ”

“ _I’m not his-_ “

Both started but the raven interrupted.

“Sarah, we are late for chemistry!” she said looking at her phone.

“Not again!”

The teenagers thanked again and left in a hurry, leaving the red-faced pair behind.

“Well, that was interesting” she chuckled, resting her chin on her palm.

“Marinette, I…” Adrien started, sitting down. “You’ll see, I haven’t told you this, but I’m…”

“I know, Adrien” she interrupted him with a friendly smile. His eyes widened.

“You know?”

“Yup. I just realized this morning. I saw the billboard they mentioned when I went for a run, and I thought ‘ _Hey, I know that guy!’._ ”

He smiled apologetically and let out a small chuckle. “Sorry for not telling you before, it’s just… I wanted people to know the _real_ me… not the _Gabriel-Agreste-perfect-son_ me.”

“I understand, don’t worry. I do admire your father, I mean, every fashion designer does, _but_ …” she gave him a narrowed look and the blonde looked at her nervously “…not because you’re Adrien Agreste it means I’m going to treat you differently. I’m still beating your ass on Ultimate Mecha Strike.”

Adrien laughed again, but this time the laugh was sincere and relaxed.

“You are _so_ going to lose, little lady.”


	8. Svago

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wine, gaming and laughs.

_‘Mari, I’m at Nino’s. Keep enjoying your date! ;) - Alya’_

Marinette stared at the message and rolled her eyes.

“Alya is at Nino’s” she informed Adrien.

They were walking towards Adrien’s building, who offered his place to play Ultimate Mecha Strike. They had picked first some snacks from a small store in front of the _café_.

Adrien chuckled. “I bet they will start dating soon. I mean, have you seen the way _he_ looks at her?”

“Have you seen the way _she_ looks at him?” the bluenette grinned, happy for her friend. “They are perfect for each other.”

The blonde nodded as they reached his building. “Here we are.”

They entered the elevator and Adrien pressed the top button, to the eleventh floor. The place looked fancy, compared to her cheap apartment building. Adrien’s apartment was the one with the numbers ‘ _1108_ ’, and boy, the place was _beautiful_. The apartment had two floors. There were dark wooden floors and white walls, with perfectly combined furniture. The living room had a high roof where a fancy lamp hung.

“Welcome to my apartment. It’s kind of big but I kinda had no say in the choice” he explained nervously, scratching his neck. “Here we have the living room, the kitchen and a guest room, but I use it as an office for homework and job stuff.” He signaled to the stairs. “My room and a small gym are upstairs.”

“It’s amazing” she beamed, looking around. She remembered she was carrying the snack’s bag she insisted to carry despite Adrien’s complains. “Where can I leave these?”

“Oh, there at the bar, please.” He signaled the marble table before heading to the TV to start preparing the game.

Marinette started taking the snacks out of the bag when she noticed a bottle of wine resting on the table. “I didn’t take you for an _amoureux du vin_ ” she said, lifting her eyebrow.

The blonde boy turned to her and chuckled.

“Yes, I am. Back in Paris my dad wouldn’t let me drink more than two glasses at fancy dinners, so when I saw the bottle of _‘Côte Blonde’_ I knew I had to buy it” he explained putting the game in the console and grabbing the controllers. “You like wine, Mari?”

Marinette nodded with a smile. “ _Yup_. Honestly I’m not a big fan of beer, so most of the time I drink wine.”

“Same here. Beer tastes awful” he chuckled and gazed at the bottle. “How about we open the bottle?”

The bluenette’s eyes widened. She recognized the name of the wine and knew that its price was above eighty pounds. “Oh no, I couldn’t!  It’s your wine.”

“I _want_ to share it with you. I haven’t tasted this wine before, but the lady at the market recommended it. Also, for me alone it’s a lot of wine… so will you help me?”

The girl thought for a moment and sighed. “ _Fine_. But next time I’m buying my favorite wine and you will help me with it, alright?”

Adrien smiled at the idea. “I’d like that.”

After fighting with the bottle of wine and the corkscrew for a while because neither knew how to take the cork off -Alya was the one that always opened the bottles for Mari and Adrien’s cooks always had the bottles ready to serve-, they finally opened the bottle and Adrien served two glasses. They sat on the sofa, surrounded by the snacks –Marinette laughing at their weird mix of muffins, chips _and_ wine- and started playing.

“ _What the hell?_ ” the blonde muttered with a shocked face when Marinette kicked his butt easily. The girl giggled and sipped the wine, facepalming mentally at how good it tasted and ashamed to share her cheap wine with Adrien after tasting that perfect mix of dark fruit, herbs, and spices.

“I told you I was good” Marinette sang, trying to hide her smirk into her glass.

Adrien sipped his glass and shook his head with a confident smirk. “This was just the warm up, little lady. I haven’t played this game in a while.”

“Me neither” she replied, rubbing her chin with her hand.

“The winner is the one that wins three of five rounds?” Adrien suggested, lifting an eyebrow.

“Sounds good.”

Between laughs, wine and snacks, almost two hours had passed. They were on the fifth round both having won two rounds. No comments were made, their eyes were glued to the TV screen; the only sound was the one of their fingers aggressively tapping the controller’s buttons, until…

“ _No!_ ” Adrien screamed as Marinette beat him a second before he got to beat her.

Marinette rose from her seat, raising her arms and celebrating. “The victory is _mine!_ ” she exclaimed, doing a little dance before falling into the couch again.  

Adrien sighed in defeat and threw himself into the coach pillows, but let himself smile at the girls excitement. “You are amazing, Marinette” he complimented her, making her face turn a deep red. “ _But_ , next time I’ll win” he promised, finishing his glass and throwing her a chip.

“Hey!” she laughed throwing it back at him.

Adrien giggled and throwed her a piece of muffin.

“You are _so_ childi-” she tried to say, ready to throw it back at him when he stretched and grabbed her arm to stop her.

“I am so _what_?” he teased with a grin.

“You are so…”

Both stopped talking, studying the other’s eyes. Marinette noted how green his eyes were, like the grass in a sunny meadow. Adrien gazed at her bluebell eyes, also noticing the freckles that spread over her checks.  He was so lost in her delicate features that he didn’t notice his knee slipping off the couch, till he fell and landed on his butt.

“ _Ouch._ ”

Marinette looked at him with shocked eyes, and then started laughing.

“Hey! It’s not funny” Adrien complained, sitting up on the couch again. His face turned red.

“S-sorry” she said between laughs, wiping a tear off her eye. “I-It’s just… the f-face you made…was so…” she didn’t finish because she cracked up again, falling on the pillows. Her laugh was infectious, and Adrien found himself laughing along with her. It had been a long time since he had laughed like that, and it felt good.

The moment didn’t last a lot, because his phone rang, making both jump at the classic _Marimba_ ringtone. They tried to catch their breaths; both with red faces and teary eyes.

“I h-have to answer…” Adrien apologized, clearing his throat. He noticed Natalie was the one calling him. “Hello?”

Marinette saw the blonde boy pacing with his phone muttering a few ‘ _yes’_ and ‘ _okay’_. A thought rushed to her head: she wanted to be her friend, but the _small_ crush she had for the boy was going to make it really hard. The boy was incredible, for god’s sake. He was so down to earth, so nice, a complete gentleman, and if that was not enough, he was also _an adorable dork._

_How was she going to survive him?_

Adrien hung up and turned to Marinette. “Sorry, Mari. My father’s assistant called to inform me of a photoshot I have here on Wednesday.” He put his phone back in his jeans pocket. “I swear they won’t let me catch a break…”

 “Well, at least that means you don’t have to fly to Paris this week.”

“Yeah, it’s something.”

She looked at her phone and realized it was late. “I think it’s time for me to go” she mumbled looking at him, noticing how his face fell.

“ _Oh_ …”

 “I have homework to do. _Damn_ me and my ability to let everything till last moment…” She tried to pick up the mess they made on the living room table but he stopped her with a wave of his hand and gave her a small smile.

“Leave it, the cleaning person is coming tomorrow, so don’t worry” he paused, unsure of how to say the next thing “...I was hoping…we could hang out again soon.”

She grinned and nodded, happy that he wanted to see her again. “We should! Remember we have a pending bottle of wine and another competition.”

“Can’t wait!” He looked at her with a glint of something she couldn’t place in his eyes. “Want me to walk you to your building?”

A part of her knew she had to say no. Her apartment was close and it was a bit chilly outside. But the other part of her wanted at least five minutes more next to the boy. That part won.

“If you don’t mind…” she whispered with a blush, earning one of his dashing smiles.

**Author's Note:**

> hello! it's my first work here, i hope you enjoy! English is not my first language so sorry if I make mistakes


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